(Paris) Stefanos Tsitsipas, ninth in the world, lost a set en route, but qualified for the third round of Roland-Garros, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6 -4 the German Daniel Altmaier (83e), Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Greek, finalist of the event in 2021, went solo in the first two rounds, before being caught in the third. Pushed into the tiebreaker, he could not prevent his opponent, finally in the match and more aggressive, from starting again.
From then on, “there was a match” as it is customary to say, the duel gaining further intensity, to the point of seeing a fifth round when Tsitsipas gave in his commitment to be led 4-3.
But, pushed to his limits, he was able to find a solution, by letting go a little more of his punches, to finally line up three games and win in 2 hours 43 at the end of a fight that he did not think would end so intensely. .
The three-time winner of the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 will face the Italian Lorenzo Sonego (83) in the next round.e) or the Chinese Zhizhen Zhang (44e).